Based on the legends of the eich uisce — the Celtic water horse — The Scorpio Races take place on the tiny, fictional island of Thisby. Each November, water horses emerge from the black ocean and gallop the beach beneath the cliffs of Thisby. And each November, men capture these horses for a thrilling and deadly race.

Both Sean Kendrick, four time champion, and Kate "Puck" Connolly, newcomer to the races, will ride this year, and both of them have more to gain — or lose — than in any previous year. But only one can win.

What Others Are Saying...

Toronto Star

“[Stiefvater] creates her world so fully that it’s a delight to lose oneself in it. Highly recommended.”

People Magazine

“Tense, atmospheric, and utterly original.”

VOYA

“Fans of Stiefvater’s Shiver will fall under her descriptive trance once again”

Seventeen Magazine

“The monstrous capaill uisce may be the scariest mythical creature we’ve ever encountered in any story. They are violent, unpredictable, and generally untrustworthy, making every page of the novel exciting and full of surprises.”

The New York Times

“[Stiefvater] not only steps out of the young adult fantasy box with “The Scorpio Races” but crushes it with pounding hooves. . . . If “The Scorpio Races” sounds like nothing you’ve ever read, that’s because it is.”

NPR Books

“Tactile world-building, an island full of compelling characters, and the budding romance between Sean and Puck all make for an unforgettable book that’s quite unlike anything else out there.”

Entertainment Weekly

“With this beautifully executed drama, Stiefvater has established herself as one of the finest YA novelists writing today.”

Kirkus, Starred Review

“Masterful. Like nothing else out there now.”

Horn Book Review, Starred Review

“Stiefvater’s novel, inspired by Manx, Irish, and Scottish legends of beautiful but deadly fairy horses that emerge from the sea each autumn, begins rivetingly and gets better and better . . . all the way, in fact, to best.”

School Library Journal, Starred Review

“Up–On the sea-battered and wind-swept isle of Thisby, fall brings the famed and feared capaill uisce, or water horses, and with them, death . . . The author takes great liberties with the Celtic myth, but the result is marvelous.”